Partisan Hackery

Hey everyone.

The subject of this post is a bit dated, however I think that the topic is still relevant today and grows in importance month after month. What I'm talking about is the partisan bias in today's media.

Nowhere was this best exemplified than when Jon Stewart, the comedian host of "The Daily Show" appeared on CNN's Crossfire about two weeks ago. Stewart, who's on a promotional tour for the book "America" came on the show that he has charged many times as being "bad" in order to confront the hosts and discuss the various complaints he had about, what Stewart called, the show's, "Partisan Hackery." The result of his appearance proved his point.

One of my main criticisms with the candidates during the presidential debates, and especially with the Kerry / Edwards team, and Bush in the first debate, was their inability to change tactics, vary their arguments and even reevaluate their positions. Too many times we saw them drone their "message" no matter what conflicting situations occurred, or what the response of their opponent was. It began to look like one of those Saturday Night Live parodies. The same thing occurred when Paul Begala and Tucker Carlson faced down the cheeky Stewart. (And oh God, I only wish that James Carville, and/ or Robert Novak would have been there--Carville, who's now on Kerry's election team, and Novak...well, there's a special place in hell for him) Stewart came on the show with confrontation on his mind and sought serious discussion about the direction that the media was going. The co-hosts were caught flat footed. Begala looked pained, as if he had a case of terminal gas, while Carlson resorted to name calling. It almost seemed as if they wanted to prove Stewart's point for him.

And what exactly was the point Stewart wanted to make? That under the guise of "real" journalism (See, "fair and balanced" and the rest of that bullshit) the media, and news companies, push a partisan agenda through agents like Begala, Carlson, et al. I knew this, you most likely know this, however millions of Americans daily, turn into these types of shows expecting actual facts. People have forgotten what the news used to be, when people like Walter Cronkite was called the most trusted man in America. He wasn't trusted because he was a Republican or a Democrat, he wasn't trusted because he was a liberal or conservative, he was trusted because people could depend that what he said was fact, and with that fact people could do a strange thing--make up their own minds. Today's media repackages arguments, opinions and platforms that replace peoples' ability to think critically, and it does it in convenient "sound bites" that make absolutely no sense at all except as a psychological tool to refresh the candidate's image on the viewers consciousness. For example:

Commentators Question #1:

"There have been numerous American deaths in Iraq since the President landed on the USS Lincoln and stated "Mission Accomplished." Was the president hastily in making this statement, or are we facing a new type of war that challenges our definition of victory?"

"Fair and Balanced" Pundit response #1:

"I'm glad you asked me that question. We must stay the course and continue fighting the enemy from all fronts no matter what cost. Bush said, we should stay the course and that's exactly what we should do. Remember, STAY THE COURSE."

"Fair and Balanced" Pundit response #2:

"I'm glad you asked me that question as well. Staying the course is not the solution. We can do better. They want to stay the course, but John Kerry has said, we can do better, and that's what he's going to do. Remember, WE CAN DO BETTER."

Commentator:

"Thanks for this open and frank debate."

Can you guess who's the Democrat and who's the Republican?

It sounds comedic doesn't it? But yet, Hardball, Crossfire, and even Meet The Press has picked up on this dualistic fashion of delivering the news. Might over right, style over fact. Is it any wonder that more and more people tune into The Daily Show to get their news? I mean, if we are going to have this absurd theater as our method of getting information, then shouldn't people just cut the shit and go directly to comics? Hell, nowadays I can get more information and deeper insight into our political landscape by reading The Boondocks than the front page of the newspaper it's buried in.

As amusing as it was to see Tucker and Paul get beat around by Stewart, there was a tragic quality in Stewart's voice that sorta sucked the joyfulness out of it. When he said "You're hurting America." His usual stammering--that comic beat, which delivers lines with a humorous mastery--took on another flavor, and that was pleading. Pleading to at least drop the pretentiousness for a moment and be real with the public, even if just for a segment. They couldn't do it. All they could do was introduce their set questions and tell the people "Get ready to put Stewart in the rapid fire!" It was like watching a medic trying to play checkers with a man with a heart attack. It would be funny if it wasn't so serious.

I wish I had a suggestion to make it better. To return the media, not to some idealistic "Good ole days," age, but rather to a moment when bias wasn't at the pandemic that it is now. The only advice I can give readers of this post is to keep your fingers on the triggers of your critical thought, and shoot long, hard and fast at all of the so called "news" that you hear, read and see. Take nothing at face value, and in the same manner we criticize our politicians we should scrutinize our anchorpeople.

Until then, we'll always have The Daily Show: a show so honest it tells you that it's fake.